See Who I Am
by MadamoiselleMidnight
Summary: After the fiasco with Aunt Marge, Harry Potter finds an unusual dog. Trouble seems to follow Harry throughout the year and his new dog appears to avoid the Defense teacher. Soon a devastating betrayal reveals the truth.
1. Found In The Darkness

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter; I'm just borrowing the characters.

**Summary:** After the fiasco with Aunt Marge, Harry Potter finds an unusual dog. Trouble seems to follow Harry throughout the year and his new dog appears to avoid the Defense teacher. Soon a devastating betrayal reveals the truth.

**_See Who I Am_**

**Chapter One: _Found In The Darkness_**

The night sky was dark, lit only by small pinpricks of starlight. Drifting clouds obscured the moon. Every once in a while, a stray beam of moonlight would escape the clouds, casting long shadows on the earth below. The chill of the late August air combined with the shadows of the night made it a perfect night to stay indoors. But, if one were to peer into an old alleyway on that very night, a dark silhouette could be seen darting from shadow to shadow. The silhouette stopped and two haunted eyes stared at the quiet house in front of the alley.

'_Run. Run. Must keep moving.' _

A skeletal dog dashed from the filthy alley to the house across the street. Pausing at the bushes in the yard, the dog raised its nose and sniffed. Scampering around the house, the canine found a waste bin. The smell of rotten food permeated the air.

'_Hungry. So hungry.'_

Standing on its hindquarters, the starved dog knocked the waste bin over. It landed with a resounding bang. Startled by the loud noise, the canine backed away with its tail between its legs. After a few moments of silence, the dog moved forward and sniffed at the contents of the spilled bin. The canine deemed the contents edible and began to eat. A light came on in the house behind the dog. Paying no heed to the source of light, the canine continued to sate its hunger.

A door suddenly opened. The dog paused and lowered itself to the ground. Teeth bared and ears back, the canine watched as two humans appeared. One was wielding a baseball bat and the other was cowering behind the doorframe.

"There's nothing out here. You're just hearing things, Martha," said the man as he lowered the bat.

"I swear I heard something," replied the woman, loosening her grip on the doorframe.

"Quit watching horror films. I'm going back to bed."

The man turned to leave, but at that moment, the woman spotted two glowing eyes staring at her from the darkness.

"There!" she screamed, pointing in the direction of the dog.

The man swung the bat back around and followed the woman's finger. Seeing the animal, the man started forward. Realizing it was no longer safe to stay, the dog tensed in preparation for a sprint.

"Go on! Scat! Shoo, ya mangy mutt!" the man yelled as he swung the bat in all directions and ran towards the dog.

The canine frantically ran away from the house and the man. Still in a panic, the dog ran through yards and bound across streets as quick as it could.

'_Need rest. So tired.'_

As the dog continued to run, its left forepaw went into an abandon snake hole. Falling forward, the dog rolled onto its side. The canine panted as it lay there, and began to calm down. As the dog lay panting, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky. The skeletal dog's matted fur quickly became wet. The chill of the night was suddenly stronger.

'_So cold. So very cold.'_

The only shelter that the canine could see was a bench between two rows of thorny bushes. Slowly getting back on all four paws, the dog started walking towards the bench. As the dog put pressure on its left forepaw, it gave a small yelp. Keeping the paw off the ground, the canine limped its way to the bench and went under it. Laying down on the ground, the dog gently put its head on its forepaws. The drizzle continued to fall and hit the dog through the spaces between the wooden planks of the bench.

'_Not safe. Never safe.'_

Shivering, the canine let out a whimper and strived to stay awake.

**-Line Break-**

Harry Potter was having a bad day. Well, truth be told, the entire day wasn't so bad, just the evening. There were two major problems with his evening. He had just blown up his aunt and then ran away from Number Four Privet Drive. It wasn't as bad as it sounds. His aunt didn't explode; she merely bloated and floated. Really, the best way for Harry to cool down was to get some air; and it wasn't as if he had many things, so the obvious thing to do would be to bring all his possessions with him. He would return to Privet Drive, just at a later date.

'_If Aunt Marge wouldn't instigate arguments and talk bad about my parents, none of this would have happened. So what if I got mad? I'm not just going to let her get away with insulting my mum and dad,'_thought Harry, walking away from Number Four Privet Drive at a fast pace.

Approaching a park, Harry figured he was a good ways away from the house of his angry uncle. As he put his trunk down and sat on it, Harry let out a sigh. "I guess this means I won't be going to Hogsmeade this year. There's no way Uncle Vernon will sign the permission form now."

Harry looked around. The park behind him was completely deserted and there was no traffic on the road in front of him. Everything was damp, but luckily, the light rain had stopped falling before Harry decided to leave the house.

"Now what do I do?" Harry asked himself. "Maybe I could go to the Burrow." _'It would be nice to see Ron and his family again. But how would I get there? Fly?'_

"Or I could go to the Leaky Cauldron," he mumbled to himself. _'Again, how do I get there? I could pay for a ride to London and then to the Leaky Cauldron, but all I have is wizard money. I don't think any Muggle would accept any Knuts, Sickles, or Galleons as payment.'_

A snapping noise pulled Harry out of his musings. Quickly getting to his feet with his wand in his hand, Harry observed his surroundings. A pair of eerie eyes peered at him from the darkness across the street.

**-Line Break-**

The lightly dozing dog was startled awake by a sudden sound. Jerking upright, the canine looked towards the source of the noise. It was a human sitting on the other side of the road. The dog slowly inched its way out from under the bench and caught the scent of the human.

'_Safe?'_

An image of a young man with dark, messy hair, hazel eyes, round glasses, and a lazy smile crossed the dog's mind. Fully out from under the bench, the dog limped closer to the side of the road. The canine inadvertently stepped on a stick and snapped it. The boy hopped to his feet and looked around, pointing a stick in front of him. The dog locked eyes with the human boy, a boy with vibrant green eyes.

'_Green? Not hazel? Not safe!'_

The dog bared its teeth and began to growl lowly in its throat. With its ears flat against its head, the dog started to back away.

**-Line Break-**

'_What is it? An Auror come to arrest me for underage magic and blowing up Aunt Marge? An enemy?'_ Harry thought wildly as he saw the eyes staring at him. Squinting, Harry saw that it was an animal. _'Wait… is it some type of canine? A dog or a wolf, maybe? Well, whatever it is, it's huge!'_

Indeed, it was a dog. Although it was dark, Harry could see that the dog had frightened grey eyes and matted fur. It was too dark to tell if the dog's fur really was black or not. The dog was showing its teeth and slowly backing away.

Trying to show that he wasn't a threat, Harry slowly sat back down on his trunk. The clouds drifted away from the moon for a few seconds before covering it once more, but that allowed Harry to get a good view of the dog. _'Poor mutt looks so skinny. It's also favoring its front paw. Is it hurt?'_

"Come here, boy," Harry called softly, pointing his wand at his feet and holding out his empty hand. "I'm not going to hurt you. It's okay. Come here."

**-Line Break-**

The boy sat back down and called out softly causing the dog to stop backing up. Teeth still bared, but no longer growling, the dog's ears perked up to hear the boy.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

Not moving, the canine stared at the boy sitting on the trunk.

'_Not hurt? Safe?'_

The dog took a step forward and sniffed the air for the boy's scent.

_'Boy, my boy? No. Boy is…'_

An image of a laughing baby with dark hair and green eyes crossed the dog's mind.

_'Same scent? Same human?'_

"It's okay. Come here."

_'Boy is… Harry!'_

The canine jerked forward, but stepped hard on its left forepaw. Letting out a loud yelp, the dog crashed to the ground face first. Staying still on the ground, the dog gave a soft whimper. Its forepaw was really aching. The sound of shoes on pavement coming closer caused the injured canine to give a low warning growl. The movement stopped. Raising its head, the dog looked for the boy. The canine was startled to find that the boy was only a few feet away. Giving the human a soft whine, the dog attempted to get back on its feet. Hearing movement once more, the dog looked up to see the human moving closer. On its paws once more, the canine gingerly limped towards the boy. When the boy stopped walking, so did the dog. The human held out his hand, so the canine used it as a chance to be sure that the boy really was Harry. Taking a deep sniff of the human's scent, the canine confirmed the boy's identity.

'_Harry.'_

Looking into the human's bright green eyes, the dog gave into the exhaustion that had been plaguing him.

**-Line Break-**

He should know better than to approach an injured animal. He'd heard all about animals attacking when they were hurt or backed into a corner. He should be smarter than this, because clearly, walking towards a large, starving, injured dog is just asking for trouble. _'But I can't just leave the poor thing alone, obviously in pain.'_

Leaving his possessions on the curb and carrying his wand in his hand, he walked across the street. Harry was only a few feet away when he heard the canine growl. It wasn't an "I'm-going-to-attack-you-right-now" growl; it was a warning growl, at least that's what Harry hoped it was. Still, Harry stopped where he was, trying not to make any sudden movements. The pained animal lifted its head and looked at Harry. Whining, the dog started to slowly get up. Taking that as a sign to continue moving, Harry walked to the hurt canine trying to appear to be as harmless as possible.

The dog was cautiously walking towards Harry. Both the dog and the boy stopped about a foot from each other. Harry held out his hand, hoping that the canine wouldn't bite him. The dog put its snout in Harry's hand and gave out a loud snuffle. Looking down, Harry saw the tired, grey eyes of the canine. The next thing Harry knew, the dog collapsed unceremoniously at his feet. The front half of the dog had knocked Harry backwards. Trying to find his balance, Harry took a step back to keep from falling. Unfortunately, Harry tripped over the uneven rise between the grass and the sidewalk. As he fell, one hand went back to catch himself and the other hand, his wand hand, went up to prevent himself from falling on his wand and breaking it.

A loud bang sounded on the road right next to Harry. Peering up, Harry saw that it was a triple-decker, purple bus. All of a sudden, Harry realized that his night had just become more complicated than it already was.

**-Line Break-**

_**Author's Note:**_ Warning: I'm a first time fan fiction writer… Anyway, I've had the idea for this story floating around in my head for a while. I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes I've made. Please tell me your thoughts on this story so far and leave a Review!


	2. Arriving, Cleaning, Sleeping

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Harry Potter; I'm just borrowing the characters.

_**Summary:**_ After the fiasco with Aunt Marge, Harry Potter finds an unusual dog. Trouble seems to follow Harry throughout the year and his new dog appears to avoid the Defense teacher. Soon a devastating betrayal reveals the truth.

**See Who I Am**

**Chapter Two: _Arriving, Cleaning, Sleeping_**

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, a primary transportation source for witches and wizards of all ages. My name is Stan Shunpike and I… Whatcha doin' on the ground for?" asked Stan, a man who appeared to be only a few years older than Harry.

"I tripped."

"Well, whatcha do that for?" Stan asked.

"It wasn't intentional," Harry said, getting back on his feet. "Aren't you afraid the Muggles have heard the loud bang the bus gave off and come see it?"

"Muggles? They don' listen properly nor see properly, do they? They don' never notice nuffin'."

"I guess."

"Well, you is comin' on, ain'tcha? We can't wait 'round all night," said Stan before turning his head to look over his shoulder. "Ain't that right, Ern."

"Where does this bus go? And why did you stop here?" Harry questioned as he bent down to check on the dog at his feet. _'He's still breathing. I guess he just passed out. I hope he'll be alright.'_

"What d'ya mean 'why did we stop 'ere?' You're the one who called us. And this here bus goes almost anywhere," replied Stan before he looked down at the canine. "What's that?"

"He's a dog. Um, I mean my dog. He is… really tired," Harry said.

"Why d'ya-"

"Look, can you take me to the Leaky Cauldron?" Harry asked, interrupting Stan's question.

"Course we can!"

"I have to get my trunk. It's over there," Harry stated, pointed over at his trunk on the other side of the road.

"What's it doin' all the way over there when you is standin' right here?" questioned Stan.

Ignoring Stan's inquiry, Harry asked, "My dog can come on the Knight Bus too, right?"

"Is the dog trained? Cuz we can't be havin' unruly dogs runnin' amuck an' terrorizin' the customers."

"He's asleep. He won't bother anyone," Harry said. _'I hope.'_

"Okay, then, get him on and…" Stan trailed off as he took a good look at the canine. Jumping back, Stan exclaimed, "Bloody hell! That's a grim, that is! Death omen is what he is. We don't be takin' grims on this bus!"

"It's not a grim!" Harry protested. _'What's a grim? And what does Stan mean by death omen?' _Harry looked away from Stan and down at the canine._ 'It doesn't matter. He's hurt and I can't just leave him here.'_ Thinking quickly, he added, "I bought him from a Muggle pet store."

"You sure?" asked Stan.

"Positive," Harry assured him as he took his eyes off the canine.

"Well, okay, I guess. Hurry up! Hurry up! Get your stuff. We've wasted enough time as it is," Stan urged.

Harry wrapped his arms around the dog and picked him up. _'He's so big. I thought he'd be heavier. He's so skinny. I can clearly feel his ribs.'_

As Harry carried the canine, Stan dashed across the street and grabbed Harry's possessions. As soon as Harry sat down on one of the beds with the canine laying across his legs, the Knight Bus shot off into the night with a bang.

"Whatcha name, anyways?" Stan asked after the initial bang of the Knight Bus taking off.

"I'm… Neville Longbottom."

**-Line Break-**

Harry walked into the Leaky Cauldron after paying Stan for the ride on the Knight Bus. Making sure that his hair covered his scar, Harry kept his eyes down as he walked towards Tom the barman. He was glad that there weren't many patrons in the Leaky Cauldron that night. Harry had the dog cradled in his arms while he shuffled his way across the room, kicking his trunk in front of him. _'I hate to admit this, but I'm glad he's so skinny. If he wasn't, I don't think I'd be able to carry him.'_

"Can I help you?" Tom asked as he stood behind the bar cleaning a glass. Glancing up, Tom put the glass and cleaning cloth down.

"I need a room," Harry responded, keeping his face angled down to keep from being recognized. The dog in his arms had yet to stir.

"Will that dog be with you in the room?" asked Tom as he tilted his head, trying to get a look at Harry's face.

"Yes. Will there be a problem?" Harry inquired. _'I hope not. I don't know where else I could go at the moment.'_

"No. No problem. You'll just have to pay extra for the room incase the dog causes any damage," Tom replied.

Harry walked up the stairs following Tom. The canine was still in his arms and Tom was carrying Harry's trunk ("You might have been able to kick it across the room, but I don't think you'll be able to kick it up the stairs."). Once Tom showed Harry his room for the night, Harry put the dog down on the bed gently. The room was a little bigger than Harry's room at Privet Drive. There was a three-panel window with a window seat on the far side of the room. A bed was on the right side of the room with another door leading to a small bathroom a few feet away. On the left side of the room, directly opposite of the bed, was a wooden desk and a wooden chair. Taking his trunk from Tom, Harry opened it up and got out the necessary amount of money to pay for the room. Forgetting about not wanting to show his face, Harry looked at Tom when he paid him.

"Harry Potter!" gasped Tom. "I thought you looked familiar."

Cursing himself for lifting his head and being recognized, Harry said, "Yeah, that's me. I didn't want to be noticed. People seem to make a big deal when I'm about and I just wanted a quiet night after my journey here. _'Not to mention I recently broke the law about using underage magic, so I'm not exactly keen to be announcing my presence everywhere I go.'_

"Not to worry, Mr. Potter. I won't tell a soul you're here," Tom said enthusiastically.

"Thank you," Harry said. After standing awkwardly for a few moments, Harry self-consciously rubbed his scar and said, "Well, it's late and I'm kinda tired. So…"

"Oh. Oh, right! Of course! Let me just get out of your way," Tom said before he turned and walked out of the room.

Closing his trunk, Harry set it at the foot of the bed. Harry turned his attention to the dog on the bed. Although the dingy room didn't have very good lighting, he could see that the dog's fur was filthy and matted. _'I'll have to clean him.'_

Harry turned and walked into the small bathroom that was attached to his room. He couldn't see any shampoo, but he did find a bar of soap near the small tub. Making his way back to the bed, Harry sat down next to the dog. The canine didn't stir as he ran a hand through the dirty fur. _'I might as well wash him now while he's still out of it. It'll be easier than trying to wash him while he's awake.'_

Harry went back into the bathroom and began to fill the tub with warm water. Hunting around the room for some type of washcloth and coming up empty, Harry decided he'd have to use his hands. Once the tub had enough water, Harry went back into the bedroom to retrieve the dog.

As delicately as possible, Harry lowered the dog into the warm water. Having one hand under the dog's snout to keep the dog's head out of the water, Harry began the task of cleaning the dirt and grime from the fur. Harry's hand was constantly getting tangled in the dog's matted fur while trying to use the bar of soap that wasn't of the best quality; and yet, slowly, but surely, the dog was becoming clean. Soon the fur was smooth and black, instead of a tangled, grayish-brown mess.

The water was just starting to become cool when Harry was ready to get the dog out of the tub. Looking around, Harry realized he forgot something. _'I didn't think of a towel. Now what should I use?'_

Not wanting the dog to get sick on top of everything else, Harry slipped out of his jacket and used it to dry off the dog. Deeming the dog adequately dried, Harry carried the canine back to the other room. Right before Harry set the dog on the bed, he saw that the top blanket was dirty. _'Probably from when I initially set him down on the bed.'_

Since Harry still had the dog in his arms and therefore, was unable to use his hands, Harry slipped his right foot out of his shoe. Harry wobbly balanced on his left foot as he used his right foot to nudge the top blanket towards the foot of the bed. Successfully getting the dirty sheet out of the way, Harry put his right foot back in his shoe and gently placed the dog on the bed.

Harry went back to the other room to clean up the mess that he left. He put the significantly smaller soap bar back where he found it, let the murky water drain out of the tub, and picked up his jacket. _'This reeks of wet dog, but it's not like I was expecting it to smell like anything else. I'm not going to put it in my trunk until I have to. I'll let it air out a bit or maybe I can find a sack or something to put it in.'_

Harry walked back into the bedroom. _'I wonder where I should sleep. If I sleep in the bed, then it's possible I'll get mauled to death in my sleep by the dog. So I guess sleeping on the bed is out. The chair and the window seat will give me a crick in my neck if I try to fall asleep there. Hmm… I could try to sleep on the desk. My legs will probably hang over the side and it'll be uncomfortable, but it's better than laying on the filthy floor.'_

Looking back at the bed, he saw that the dog hadn't moved. The only way Harry could tell that it was still alive was the slow rise and fall of the dog's chest. Harry walked over to the bed and slowly sat down near the resting canine. Running his fingers through the dog's fur, Harry sighed. _'I need to get him something to eat when he wakes up. But what should I get? Meat of some kind, maybe? Probably in small amounts since he has obviously been starved. I don't want him to get sick by eating more than his stomach can handle.'_

Harry slowly started to drift off to sleep as he sat petting the dog. After jerking himself awake for the third time, Harry decided it was time for him to get up before he ended up falling asleep next to the canine. Slowly walking over to the desk, he ran his hand over the top of it. Harry brought his hand to his face and saw that it was covered in dust. _'Maybe laying on the desk isn't the best idea after all. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now. I guess I'll just dust myself off in the morning.'_

Before he was able to get on the desk, he heard a small whimper. Harry looked back at the dog. It still hadn't moved, so Harry, thinking he was just hearing things, turned back to the desk. Hearing the whimper again, Harry turned back around and walked over to the dog. Standing next to the bed, but not making any moves towards the dog, Harry intently stared at the canine. After a moment of silence, the dog whimpered again, this time a little louder than the previous whimpers.

Sitting back on the bed, Harry placed his hand on the dog's back. Flinching, the dog whimpered louder, but didn't wake. Harry resumed running his finger through the dog's black fur and started humming to keep himself awake.

**-Line Break-**

"_Prongs? Where are- No! No, you can't be dead! James!"_

_A man with dark hair laying face down in a hallway. _

"_No, not Lily! Not Lily too!"_

_Red hair splayed out around a pale face. Clouded green eyes staring at nothing._

"_Shh… Harry, it'll be all right. I've got you."_

_A crying toddler being cradled in his arms. _

"_Give 'im ta me. I've got ta take 'im somewhere else. Dumbledore's orders."_

_The toddler being taken from his arms by a huge man. _

"_How could you, Peter? Why did you betray them?"_

_A smirking face before an explosion illuminates the sky._

"_It's Black! He's responsible for the death of the Potters!"_

_Standing in the rubble. Surrounded by wizards._

"_Black betrayed the Potters. He killed Peter and all these innocent Muggles."_

_His wand was taken from him. Faces glared at him hatefully._

"_He's obviously guilty. Take him to Azkaban."_

_A cold, dark cell. No one believes him. There is no hope. Everything is gone. _

**-Line Break-**

A gentle hand running through his fur and a soft humming sound roused the dog. Trying to be as still as possible, the dog sniffed the air, wanting to know where he was and who was with him.

_'Human is… Harry?'_

Slightly turning his head, the dog's eyes slowly opened and he discretely looked at the boy. The human, Harry, was sitting on the bed. The boy's hand was gently petting him. The humming noise was also coming from the boy. Harry's eyes were closed and his head kept drooping. Whining softly, the dog lifted its upper body and placed its head on the boy's lap.

**-Line Break-**

Harry was falling asleep. He knew this, but kept humming to keep himself awake. The dog had stopped whimpering when Harry started petting him. He would stay on the bed until he was sure the canine would be fine. _'Why do I care so much about this dog? I've only been with him a few hours.'_

Thinking back to the look in the dog's eyes right before it collapsed, Harry realized why. _'The dog trusts me. He was hurt, tired, and hungry. Instead of attacking me like most animals would, he came over to me and collapsed at my feet. He trusted me to take care of him.'_

Feeling that his head had drooped off to the side, he jerked it back up. _'It is possible that I could be interpreting it all wrong. The dog may have been trying to lure me into a false sense of security. He could have been getting ready to attack, but suddenly decided to play dead, knowing that I would clean him up. Once he was well rested and clean, he would attack me and eat the meat from my bones for dinner…'_

Harry realized that his eyes had closed but couldn't bring himself to open them. _'Oh, wow! What in the world is wrong with me! I must be really tired to be dreaming up these insane ideas about the dog. He trusts me and I care about his well-being and let's just leave it at that.' _

Drawn from his musings by a quiet whine and a sudden weight in his lap, Harry opened his eyes. The tired, grey eyes of the dog were watching him. Taking one hand and petting the dog's head with it, Harry continued to look at the canine. The dog's eyes closed in content.

"You're not going to attack me, are you?" Harry asked in a whisper.

The dog opened its eyes and whined before lifting its head to lick the hand Harry was using to pet him. Harry continued to run his hand through the dog's fur.

"I guess I'll take that as a no," Harry said softly. "Would you mind if I laid here too?"

Snuffling, the dog lifted its head again and rolled over to the side, leaving enough room for Harry.

"Thanks," said Harry as he stretched out on the bed.

The dog looked at Harry before shutting its eyes. The last thought Harry had before he fell asleep was, _'I hope the dog doesn't have a sudden change of heart.'_

**-Line Break-**

**Author's Note:** I'm making it my goal to update this story every three to seven days. I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes I've made. Please tell me your thoughts on this story so far and leave a Review!


	3. Meeting The Minister

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter; I'm just borrowing the characters.

_**Summary:**_ After the fiasco with Aunt Marge, Harry Potter finds an unusual dog. Trouble seems to follow Harry throughout the year and his new dog appears to avoid the Defense teacher. Soon a devastating betrayal reveals the truth.

**_See Who I Am_**

**Chapter Three: **_**Meeting The Minister**_

It was early in the morning when Harry suddenly woke up. He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, trying to remember where he was. The slight shifting of a warm, furry weight pressed against his side caused Harry to look over and recall the events that brought him to that room. _'I got angry and did magic which led to me blowing up Aunt Marge. Blowing up Aunt Marge caused me to leave Privet Drive. Leaving Privet Drive allowed me to find a dog. Trying to help the dog led me to falling and summoning the Knight Bus. I took the Knight Bus to the Leaky Cauldron and then I got a room from Tom.'_

Sitting up slowly so as to not wake the dog, Harry stretched his arms above his head and looked around the room. _'I wonder what it was that woke me…'_

Carefully getting out of the bed, Harry walked over to the window and saw that the sun was just barely over the horizon. All of sudden, Harry heard a rather impatient knocking noise coming from the door. _'I bet that's what woke me up, since it sounds like this isn't the first time that the person has knocked.'_

Making his way towards the door, Harry paused with his hand on the doorknob. _'I wonder who it could be… Tom is the only person who knows I'm here. It's probably him.'_

Harry opened the door and found himself face to face with the Minister of Magic.

"Hello, Mr. Potter. I am Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic," Fudge said, introducing himself.

Moving away from the door, Harry let the Minister into the room while thinking, _'How did he find me? Is he here to expel me from Hogwarts? Or is he here to arrest me for using magic against Aunt Marge?'_

"You don't know how relieved I am to find you safe and sound here at the Leaky Cauldron. I originally came last night but the barman, I believe his name was Tom, said that you had already booked a room, so I didn't feel that it was necessary to disturb you from your rest last night, seeing as I knew you were perfectly fine here."

'_Oh gee! Thanks a lot Tom. I won't tell a soul my a- wait a minute; did he just say he was relieved to find me safe and sound? Why would he be concerned about my safety? And why wouldn't I be safe?'_ Harry thought as the Minister continued to talk.

"It was very reckless of you," the Minister said. "To go running from your Aunt and Uncle's house late last night. I suppose they were a bit upset about your use of accidental magic and concerned for your Aunt Marge, but it's all been cleared up now. The scene was contained and your Aunt Marge's memory of that evening has been set so that she is still unaware of the existence of magic."

"How were her memories modified," questioned Harry.

"Obliviators. Surely you should know that. Anyway, although everything has been set right, your Aunt and Uncle feel that it would be in your best interest if you were to stay out of the house until you return to Hogwarts. I would assume that your Aunt Marge will be staying with them for a while longer and they want to avoid another incident like the one that occurred last night. Since you already have a room here at the Leaky Cauldron, I believe that it would be best if you stayed here until the first of September. You can spend all of your time here in the Leaky Cauldron or you can go shop around in Diagon Alley. I'll alert some of the shopkeepers so that they can keep an eye on you. But you must not go anywhere else."

The Minister paused for a second before moving towards Harry.

"Also, I must-"

The Minister was interrupted by a feral growl. Both Harry and Cornelius Fudge looked over at the bed where there was a large, black dog was crouched down low and baring his teeth at the Minister.

**-Line Break-**

As voices roused him from his slumber, the dog's eyes snapped open. Looking for Harry, the dog found that there was an older man in the room. An unidentified man. Looking tense, Harry was standing across from the unknown man. The man was talking, but the only thing that registered in the dog's mind was that the man, a potential threat, was beginning to move towards Harry.

'_Harry! Must protect Harry!'_

Shifting over so that he was crouching on the bed, ready to attack the man to defend Harry, the dog pulled his ears back and bared his teeth, giving a loud, threatening growl.

'_You will not harm Harry!'_

**-Line Break-**

"What? What is… i-is that a-"

Harry interrupted Fudge's stuttered question by saying, "A dog. My dog. I just got him and he… well, he doesn't like strangers?" Harry ended in a questioning tone.

"I just… Let me calm him down," Harry said. _'If I can'_

Slowly making his way across the floor, Harry started whispering to the dog as he approached the bed.

"Hey. It's okay, boy. Everything is fine."

The dog tore his gaze from the Minister to Harry as Harry drew nearer. Reaching out his hand, Harry said, "It's okay. He's not here to hurt anyone."

The dog relaxed as Harry sat beside him and carded his fingers through the dog's fur.

"Well, I must say-"

But Harry interrupted Fudge once again.

"See, he's fine. You must have just startled him."

After a moment, the Minister warily asked, "Why did you decide to get such a large dog?"

'_And it's your business because?'_ Harry thought before answering, "I got him for… protection."

"Very well, good choice. But anyway, I must be going," Fudge responded.

The Minister walked towards the door before he turned and said, "Remember to stay in the Leaky Cauldron or Diagon Alley, but you are to go absolutely nowhere else."

"Why?" Harry asked, but the Minister was already gone.

Receiving no answer to his question, Harry turned his full attention to the dog and saw that the dog was still staring at the door.

"I'm going to have to get us something to eat, right boy?" Harry asked after a few minutes, bringing the dog's attention back to him. Thumping his tail in response, the dog gave a quiet woof in agreement.

"I thought so. Let me go see what I can-"

Harry fell silent as a knock sounded at the door before it was opened. Bracing himself for another visit from the Minister or some other official, Harry was surprised to see Tom coming into the room with a breakfast tray. Tom set the tray of food he was holding down on the desk before saying, "Good morning, Mr. Potter. The Minister of Magic asked me to bring you a breakfast tray before he left."

As Tom turned and went back out the door, Harry called out, "Thanks."

Tom nodded at Harry and then shut the door as he left. Obviously hungry, the dog stared at the desk where Tom had set the food tray on. Harry thought it was odd that the dog remained on the bed instead of pouncing on the food the moment it came in the room.

"Stay here and I'll share it with you," Harry said as he got up and went over to where the tray was. Harry heard the dog's tail thumping in excitement.

There was a good portion of scrambled egg, two slices of buttered toast, four sausage links, four crispy pieces of bacon, and a tall glass of orange juice. Going back to the bed with the breakfast tray in his hands, Harry sat down next to the dog and held out one of the sausages. He had to pull his hand back quickly to avoid getting it chomped on by the eager dog. Deciding to take the safer course of action, Harry put the three other pieces of sausage and all of the bacon on the bed in front of the dog. As the canine gobbled down the meat, Harry ate his own breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and orange juice. The dog whined for more when the both of them had finished eating.

"I don't have any more. Besides, I don't want you to get sick by eating too much, too soon."

Harry returned the empty tray to the desk and then sat back down beside the dog.

Looking at the canine, Harry said, "I'm going to need a name for you. I can't keep calling you boy or dog… I suppose Blackie is too cliché… Midnight, maybe? Since I found you at night," Harry asked. The dog put its head on its paws and whined.

"No?" questioned Harry. "Alright. How about Thumper because you were thumping your tail a lot this morning?"

The dog whined even louder and put a paw on its nose.

"Okay, okay. I get it. You don't like the name."

The dog sat up and then rolled over. Showing its belly to Harry, the dog gave a snuffling sound. It was quiet for a moment as Harry rubbed the dog's belly.

"I think I have it. And if you don't like this name then I'm out of ideas for the moment. What do you think of the name Snuffles?" Harry asked.

The dog seemed to think it over before giving a bark of agreement.

"Okay, then. Snuffles it is."

**-Line Break-**

Harry mainly spent the first few days in his room in the Leaky Cauldron with Snuffles. The only times Harry left were to get shampoo and food for the both of them. Harry was focusing on getting Snuffles back to full health by feeding him and letting him rest. During the day, whenever Snuffles was resting, Harry would work on finishing his summer assignments.

After a few days of rest and relaxation, Harry decided it was time for the both of them to go explore Diagon Alley. The first few times people fainted or ran away screaming, "It's a Grim!" were a bit amusing. After a while, it became highly annoying. Wanting to know exactly what a grim was and why just about everyone was scared to death of them, Harry went to Flourish and Blotts to see if he could find a book about grims.

Leaving Snuffles outside by the front of the store, Harry quickly found what he was looking for after the shop assistant helped him. Slowly, Harry made his way through Diagon Alley and back to the Leaky Cauldron with Snuffles by his side.

As they were walking, Harry said to Snuffles, "I feel like Hermione, consulting a book and researching when I don't know the answer to my question. But it's not like I had a choice. I can't exactly ask anyone when everyone runs in the opposite direction upon seeing you… No offense, Snuffles," Harry added after seeing the dog pouting and giving a little whine.

"The only person I know I could've asked was Tom, but I didn't want to bother him."

Pausing for a moment, Harry sighed. There was a little girl pulling on her father's hand and pointing at Snuffles. When the man saw Snuffles, he covered his daughter's eyes and swiftly pulled her away.

"You know, I used to think that you were a fairly good-looking dog, but I believe that you must be an ugly mutt with the way most people are reacting to you. And that means I must have a skewed sense of what I think is ugly."

Playfully growling, Snuffles lightly head butted Harry, causing Harry to stumble a bit.

"Just kidding, just kidding…" Harry reassured Snuffles. "Come on, let's get back to our room. I really want to know why everyone seems to think that you are a grim and why being a grim is such a bad thing. One would think that you'd be some kind of bringer of death or something equally as bad."

**-Line Break-**

Later that evening, Snuffles was resting on the bed and Harry was sitting next to him with the book he purchased open in his lap.

"Huh. What do you know? A grim is a bringer of death. In divination, the grim is the omen of ultimate demise or death," Harry said. "It's no wonder most people are afraid of you, Snuffles. You look almost exactly like this picture of a grim."

Taking a moment to look at the dog, Harry asked, "You're not a grim, are you?"

Snuffles sat up and nosed the book off of Harry's lap. After the book fell off the edge of the bed, Snuffles used his head to knock against Harry's hand, asking to be petted.

Complying with Snuffles' demand to be petted, Harry carded his fingers through the dog's fur and said, "Of course you're not a grim. If you were, I think I'd be dead already. I guess you are just an abnormally large, black dog."

After a few minutes of petting Snuffles, Harry stopped got up. Snuffles whined at the loss.

"Don't be like that. I'm going to go get ready for bed. It's been a long day, having to listen to people screaming every time they saw you in Diagon Alley and I'm tired. Also, you're not completely healthy yet either, so you need your rest as well."

As soon as Harry returned, ready to go to sleep, he saw that Snuffles was already sleeping in the middle of the bed. Using both hands to gently scoot Snuffles a bit over to the side. Harry got into bed and went to sleep, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

**-Line Break-**

**Author's Note:** I was later in updating this than I liked. My friends decided to kidnap me and take me on a college road trip that lasted about a week. I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes I've made. Let me hear any thoughts you may have on this story so far and leave me a Review!


End file.
